As an educationist, he was both one of the two co-founders and one of the two teachers of Nepal’s first Engineering School, established on May 25, 1943. (Now, Pulchowk Engineering Campus)
•First person to introduce concrete in Nepal.
•Playing with a variety of elements in his buildings like RCC, RBC, dome etc.
•Designed Saraswati Sadan, Ranjana Hall, Ashok Hall, Nepal House or Raja Rani Kothi for Padma Sumsher (Ranchi, India) and more.
•His signature design is what we see: the round portion in almost all the buildings he has designed.
•Name: Saraswati Sadan
•Year: 1892
•Location: Ranipokhari, Kathmandu
•Architect | Engineer: Bed Prasad Lohani
•Original use: Campus building
•Current use: Campus building
•Current owner: Tribhuvan University
•The milestone in the history of modern architecture in Nepal as it is the first concrete structure to be built in Nepal.
•Built using new and innovative materials and technology including reinforced concrete and reinforced brick concrete.
•Also known as golghar due to its curved front facade.
•Design is simple, functional, and structurally stable.
“नेपालमा सिमेन्ट संस्कार प्रवेश गरेकै थिएन । सरस्वती सदनको प्रवेशद्वारमाथि बाछिटा छेक्न भनी ह्याङिङ पोर्टिको पनि बनाइएको थियो रे । त्रिचन्द्र कलेजका एउटा कार्यकालका प्रिन्सिपल आशुतोष गांगुली सरस्वती सदन पस्दा त्यो पोर्टिको खस्ला र टाउको फुट्ला भनी जहिले पनि दौडेर पस्थे रे ।”
“Cement Culture hadn’t entered Nepal. Saraswati Sadan is said to have a hanging portico to prevent rain splutters. The then principal of Tri-Chandra College- Aashutosh Ganguly used to run inside the campus whilst entering, afraid that the portico might fall and hurt him.”
कान्तिपुर दैनिक
२१ श्रावण २०७५ सोमबार Monday, August 06, 2018
राणाशासन ढाल्ने बन्चरो
भैरव रिसाल,
Translated Locally by the Author for the Article.
•Massive walls and deep beams have been used in order to give large spans.
•Inverted beams have also been used to give a free-floating cantilever effect to the balconies.
•Lohani has tried to play with levels and light in the design.
•Skylights and clerestory windows have been used in order to allow natural diffused light to enter the building.
भर्खरै बनेको सरस्वती सदन त्यतिबेलै धेरैको लागि आश्चर्यको विषय बनेको थियो । ढलान भएको घर, त्यति बेला कहाँ पाउनु? न कुनै खाँबो, न कुनै टेको, मान्छे कसरी अडिएलान भन्ने धेरैको चासो रे! डराइ डराइ ढलान माथि उभिन पनि गाह्रो मान्दै कवि साहित्यकार भेला भएका थिए रे!
The newly erected Saraswati Sadan intrigued a lot of people. Where could we get the houses with concreted slab those days? Having no seeming support or pillars, people were interested on how it could hold people’s weight. Literary figures gathered there and standing in there with a fright.
पहिलो कवि सम्मेलन
जयदेव भट्टराई
गोरखापत्र (शनिवारीय परिशिष्टाङ्क) माघ १७, २०५४
Translated Locally by the Author for the Article.
Written by Yugantar Paudel.
Sources:
Source: Facebook and Youtube pages of Basanta Lohani
Also find this on the youtube page:
